Amazon’s Fallout show is really a hit, right? After reaching its conclusion, we saw millions of interested new and existing players flock to the game. Fallout 4’s player base is at a peak not seen in years, and even Fallout 76 is basking in glory. Obviously everyone sees the excitement and looks to the future. Everyone’s looking at Fallout 5; Bethesda’s take on the wacky post-apocalyptic wasteland. But what I want is a return to the roots of Fallout 1 and 2. The time is ripe for another Fallout CRPG.
Let’s not beat around the bush here – Baldur’s Gate 3 already laid the groundwork for such an adventure. The fantasy role-playing game shocked the gaming world, winning a full suite of major industry Game of the Year awards at events such as GDC, DICE and The Game Awards. It’s almost the undisputed game of the year. Millions of people have either experienced the joy of a well-crafted, narrative CRPG, or experienced the familiar good stuff. The number of players and awards are proof enough that people have a keen eye for big IPs.
Fallout once provided exactly that. The original two games are pretty old now, so maybe you haven’t tried them yet, but they’re really cool! Playing these games today leaves you struggling with outdated controls and graphics to get to the juicy center that built the franchise. A truly iconic setting is established here, a unique and brutal sci-fi setting that you can enjoy to your heart’s content. Bethesda launched Fallout 3 and completely changed the way Fallout was presented to players, and when you look at the legion of Vault Dwellers hopping on the Fallout train, you’ll see that this move has paid off over the years. of. baby.
But the other side of the coin is that you do lose some of that special sauce in the transformation process. In Fallout 3, as waves of new people hop on the train, you do see a lot of people get off too. These wanderers craving a taste of home are able to find food in a variety of other places (such as the wonderful Wasteland series), but you know you’ll never quite replicate the taste of home-cooked food.
So while a lot of people are enthusiastic about Fallout 5 right now, I’d love to see a curveball. Let Bethesda do its thing and drop players off in New Orleans, the moon, or wherever Todd and friends come up with it. Larian is doing its own thing, so we’ll keep that team quiet, but I can still think of some developers who would do wonders with the Fallout IP loaned to them. InXile is the developer of the aforementioned Wasteland game, and they are very close to the developers of the modern CRPG Fallout. The team is now working on Clockwork Revolution, which looks grand, but I’m excited to see them return to a CRPG after recently hiring a bunch of former Volition developers.
And then there’s the Owl Games! I love owl games. The recently released Rogue Trader RPG was fantastic and in my opinion they proved they can do justice to a beloved IP – if they can pay homage to Warhammer with a well crafted game they can handle it “radiation”. A studio that has proven its ability to create exciting narratives and complex rulesets is exactly the kind of team I want to work with on Fallout in the future.
Then, there’s the elephant in the room. Obsidian Entertainment! Many people will look at this developer and want a Fallout: New Vegas style game, and I respect that desire. But this is the same studio responsible for Pillars of Eternity and Tyranny! Masters of their craft, stories and gameplay are all proven. Think about the headlines – Obsidian’s return to Fallout would be a great moment that almost every fan would love to see.
Whether or not Bethesda actually allows for another offshoot of the Fallout IP is something that’s hampering my wishes these days, but even if New Vegas has been used as a mace of sorts, with our Way to hit modern Fallout over the top. We shouldn’t pretend that this isn’t a wonderful expansion of the Fallout world and property itself. Just look at this show—the creators weave references and callbacks to the game with a motherly love.
Now it’s time to throw a bone to the CRPG crowd and Fallout fans alike, the two-headed mutant dog. Both stomachs crave as much delicious lad snack cake as possible.
